Piedmont’s City Council voted unanimously on Monday night to permanently shut down the off-leash Linda Dog Park across the street from Beach Elementary School after a resident filed a complaint with the regional Water Board earlier this spring, sparking an inquiry into how the city was managing erosion and run-off on that site.
The abrupt notice of the park’s closure sparked concern from Piedmont and Oakland dog owners who use the park; over 300 people signed an online petition calling for a plan to keep the park open or provide a suitable substitute for it. Seven pet owners spoke to councilmembers Monday night, asking the city to take more time to consider the need for immediate closure. Several spoke to the important community-building role of the park.
At a first reading two weeks ago, councilmembers and city staff said it wasn’t feasible to keep the park open under any circumstances now due to the degradation of the slope and risk of fines. Mayor Betsy Andersen said the Council’s decision Monday night did not preclude a future Council from re-visiting the location’s use.
Vice Mayor Conna McCarthy noted that the Park Commission had, as many as nine times in recent years, dealt with ongoing park issues, including closures due to rain and erosion, and said that the consensus among Commissioners was that the site was never an appropriate site for an off-leash dog park due to its hillside topography.
The city’s Public Works Director Daniel Gonzales affirmed that the city would prioritize finding a different location for an enclosed dog park as it undertakes a sustainability evaluation of all city parks and open spaces. This study will start in July, he said, and a city statement said “it will examine current management practices and existing park uses, including off-leash dog areas, with the aim of developing recommendations for how to best meet the community needs while maintaining healthy and vibrant public spaces throughout Piedmont.”
The city said public works staff will immediately move forward with hydroseeding the hillside, a common erosion control measure that forms a sort of protective shell over the soil, preventing soil erosion and allowing vegetation to begin to regrow.
Councilmembers said they intended to keep the need for a suitable enclosed dog park top of mind and encouraged residents to participate in public meetings that will be part of the sustainability study as it unfolds.